Supporting employers of carers

Our Supporting Working Carers project focuses on supporting Carers who are in paid employment. We are working with many employers in order to encourage them to maintain Carers in employment and support Carers among their workforce.

This is a pilot project funded by the Dept of Health, Government Equalities Office & the Dept for Work & Pensions. We are also working in collaboration with Northamptonshire County Council.

Free Consultation - Let us help you show you value your staff and are a Carer Friendly Employer. We offer:

Face to face meeting to develop a personalised approach to support Carers best suited for your company

Carers’ in-house events to promote Carers Week and Carers Rights Day

Business cards, posters and resources for Carers enabling them to contact and access wider support from Northamptonshire Carers

E-learning and training for Line Managers - Supporting Carers at Work and Raising Awareness of Carers

Wellbeing training

Mentoring under Clarity 4D

County recognition of being a Business Supporting Its Carers

Opportunities to share ideas and resources with other likeminded organisations

Access to all the specialist services Northamptonshire Carers offers to Carers including free Carers Assessments carried out in your workplace

Supporting Working Carers - Accreditation Scheme

Evidence shows that caring can cause ill health, poverty and social isolation.

When caring is intensive and unsupported people can struggle to hold down a job and carry out their usual daily activities.

Employers sign up to demonstrate their commitment to supporting employees who provide care and support for elderly or disabled relatives

Employers who look after the Carers in their workforce will benefit by attracting and supporting staff – with better staff retention, better morale and higher productivity.

This accreditation scheme aims to raise awareness about the growing number of working Carers (currently likely to be 1 in 9 and rising) and give recognition to those employers who support Carers in their workforce.

The Health and Safety Manager felt that there was so much focus on safety and they seemed to forget the “health” part. With this in mind the focus of 2017 was going to be their Colleague’s Wellbeing. To kick this off, it was decided to host a “wellbeing” event for all of the colleagues to attend in the form of a market stall event and they invited various groups to attend that it was felt could improve colleague wellbeing. The event was held in January as we felt people are enthusiastic about making changes in the New Year and it was given a strapline of “New Year, New You”.

The Market stalls included Northamptonshire Carers who provide information and support for the counties unpaid Carers and carried out Carers Assessments during the course of the day. Various organisations also attended which covered many aspects, such as smoking cessation, weight control, financial help, social and emotional support, alcohol awareness and housing and education, there was promotion of physical activity, Quorn foods to promote healthy eating and Prostate Cancer UK.

Overall the day was a great success with positive feedback from all parties, especially the colleagues with several signing up to stop smoking, free gym sessions, many carer referrals and a few alcohol awareness and weight control wake up calls, especially just after the festive period. The intension is to hold these events on average 3 times per year with opportunity for colleagues to have a Carers Assessment within the work environment.

Nationwide

The Supporting Working Carers team were approached by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager from a large financial institution to provide an opportunity for their staff to gain support around the issues of working and caring for someone else. The plan was to provide an In-house support network for employees as well as regular information and advice sessions.

Initially a presentation was given to employees with a brief consultation questionnaire being circulated. Staff were then invited to provide details to enable Northamptonshire Carers to register them on the database and to have an initial conversation. Arrangements were made to conduct Carers Assessments within the work environment. Future plans are for a regular assessment sessions to take place where employees can pre book to have a Carers Assessment during their working hours.

Carer 1 contacted us via an in-house information session, currently caring for 1 of her children who has a diagnosed hearing loss. Carer 1 was concerned that communicating with this child will become increasingly more difficult as she got older and requested a Carers Assessment during discussions it became clear that the British Sign Language Course that would enable her to start the communication process.

As part of the assessment process Carers can be provided with a Direct Payment for services that are not commissioned by Northamptonshire County Council. Carer 1 has requested £305.00 to pay for course tuition fees and is awaiting the outcome.

Carer 2 has been known to the organisation for some years. Carer 2 took redundancy to create a Social Enterprise unfortunately due to ill health had to take time out, during a general conversation the Building Better Opportunities project was mentioned as a possible option to enable a return to work. Accessing C.V writing support or training courses that would allow Carer 2 to gain the necessary skills to promote and manage her business.

2017 marks 25 years of Northamptonshire Carers. Quarter of a century in supporting local Carers. Everyone deserves a break and this year we plan to raise £500,000 to purchase holiday homes to give Carers a relaxing break for the next quarter of a century.

Our Carer Cafes give you a chance to meet other Carers whilst bringing the person you care-for if you choose to.
Our Carers Cafe in Wellingborough meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, 1-3pm at our offices on Midland Road.

The Patient Participation Group from the Parks GP Surgery, covering Roade, Blisworth, Grangepark and Hanslope attend this Coffee Morning each month giving Carers information and support.
AS part of our Primary Care Interface work we also attend this group on a monthly basis, the third Tuesday of the Month
New Carers can call in to see what services are available to Carers in Northamptonshire.

Our Coffee Morning in Northampton meets fortnightly on Fridays, 10am-12noon at St Michael's Church Rooms, Perry Street.
On the 1st Friday of the month it incorporates a benefits advice surgery from the Community Law Service. Although you do not need to book to attend the Coffee Morning, you do for the benefits surgery.

Related

2017 marks 25 years of Northamptonshire Carers. Quarter of a century in supporting local Carers. Everyone deserves a break and this year we plan to raise £500,000 to purchase holiday homes to give Carers a relaxing break for the next quarter of a century.

There was a full house for the annual Northamptonshire Jane Roebuck Carers Awards on Wednesday 24 January 2018 which brought together carers from across Northamptonshire to acknowledge and celebrate the fantastic contribution that they make to the county.

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We offer a wide range of ways to contact us and access support. For some people online is best so we offer online options to refer yourself to us whilst completing a self assessment which can be followed up with a more detailed assessment if required.

The term 'Carer' can often be confusing. We use it in terms of someone who provides support for a relative or friend who has a disability, long-term illness or other additional needs. Sometimes the term 'Carer' can get mixed up for those who work for care agencies and care homes.

Our Carers Support Line provides a confidential service to support the needs of Adult and Young Carers, including Parent Carers.
The service can be accessed by Carers, professionals or anyone with a Carer related enquiry or issue.

There was a full house for the annual Northamptonshire Jane Roebuck Carers Awards on Wednesday 24 January 2018 which brought together carers from across Northamptonshire to acknowledge and celebrate the fantastic contribution that they make to the county.

We provide short breaks for Carers and their families at our holiday lodges in Suffolk. Carers can purchase a break privately but unfortunately our free places are now full and we have closed our waiting list until further notice.

Northamptonshire Carers have purchased a number of memberships around the county, including swimming, jacuzzi, steam rooms, specialist activity classes etc. in various leisure centres, health clubs and hotels.

Our newsletter is emailed monthly and will keep you up to date with the latest activities, news and services for Carers. We'd love to keep you posted with our news, activities and how you can help us support carers. We'll never sell or swap your details with anybody else. For more information see our privacy policy. You are free to change your mind at anytime.